Five A Day Keeps The Pounds Away
Health commentator James Brunton discusses the importance of eating yer greens.
Summer is upon us, and thoughts have turned to squeezing into last year’s swimsuit. Starving is an option. Another is to eat more fruit and vegetables. By now, you’ll have seen all the packaging that boasts ‘This is 1 of your 5 a day,’ referring to the recommended five daily portions of fruit and veg. These boasts are usually on some sugar-rich juice or processed meal.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are low in calories and high in essential nutrients. They fill you up, so there’s less room in your stomach to pack in more calorie-dense food. Eating fewer calories yet still feeling full means that you reduce your energy intake. Many trials show that this leads to substantial weight loss.
It doesn’t sound difficult to achieve, but reaching or exceeding that five a day goal could help you lose some of those extra pounds which have sneaked on. A recent study revealed that most successful slimmers and thin people ate their five or more daily servings at least five days a week.
Fruit and vegetables can turn off the craving for other types of foods, such as puddings and chocolate. They are also full of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fibre, antioxidants and proteins we need for good health.
Eating too little fruit and veg means that you have no signal to stop eating. It’s the same with processed, low carb or low fat meals. You end up swallowing many more calories and usually more sugar too - extra fat you don’t want.
A trained pharmacist, James Brunton publishes a free-bi-monthly newsletter on a variety of health topics. He also sells informational booklets on complementary therapies. These are available as digital downloads or in printed form. Further info www.healthexplored.co.uk
Colon hydrotherapy, also known as colonic irrigation, is a safe treatment for a number of digestive problems, including constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation and bloating. It has a long history dating back 3,500 years and has been practiced by various civilisations, including the ancient Egyptians. The treatment involves pure, filtered, sterilised, warm water flowing into the large colon to eliminated toxins from the body. It is not uncomfortable and feels similar to an internal bath. The water helps to soften any hard faecal matter and stimulates the digestive system into working again.
Cleanse, 13 Hamilton Pl., T 0131 332 2775, www.edinburghcleanse.co.uk